Orlando
The contradictory postmodern elements in Orlando a film by Sally Potter based on the novel by Virginia Woolf
What are the contradictory elements in Orlando?
By Sonya Grbevski
Orlando by Sally Potter, is a post-modern text which encompasses the ideal of many contradictory notions, in turn enhancing it?s resistance to conform to typical film type traditions, and portraying many of it?s elements as strong indicators of intentional post-modern qualities on the basis of an adaptation of the book by Virginia Woolf. The text is a representation of the impermanence of love, power and politics, and can be seen to also convey this notion further through the inclusion of contemporary ideals such as the loss of property and status. It is through these concepts that the text explores gender roles, and the symptom of discrimination against women as inferior to men, especially as seen through the male patriarchal societies of the past. It is these themes of the text which are displayed through ironic and contradicting elements, in order to emphasise their importance by challenging the responder?s expectations and stereotypes of a particular concept, with which Orlando is able to present unexpected twists and features, confusing and manipulating the responder?s initial thoughts. Orlando presents the other side of life, the story untold, the story less consumerist and constructed on the basis of popular culture, it exploits the English class system and colonial attitudes, it challenges the mortality of love and tragedy, and embraces the responder for the transforming attitudes of Orlando as a character who transcends time and remains true to immortality in a world where everything around him/her crumbles and dissolves with evolution.
There are many contradicting elements played throughout the text, sustained to support it?s post-modern intent, however a strong indicator of contradiction can be seen through the cast actors, and their gender roles. Orlando satisfies the unexpected and challenges the responder?s expectations, and characters are used to highlight this idea. We see that many important roles in Orlando are portrayed in contrast to their stereotypical precedent, and in turn it is this contradictory element which emphasises the texts use of social values and traditions, manipulating them in order to emphasise it?s unrestricted nature and ability to resist traditional stereotypes. A strong example of this is the role of Queen Elizabeth I. Many would see her cast as a head strong female of Elizabethan times, a woman representing solid qualities and leadership features as she was the first female ruler of England during a male patriarchal reign. However quite to the contrary, the responder is presented with a contrast where when shown closely, the Queen represents a 21st century interpretation of a Gay transsexual, a man dressed as a women, who today by society would more likely be seen as less powerful figure, prone to much inferiority to the majority of straight society. This element plays with the expectations of the responder. We are presented with a powerful figure, however represented by a version of contemporary social inferiority and minority. It is through this that the text is able to challenge the responder?s expectations, and emphasise it?s post-modern qualities of unrestricted scripting. The character also challenges our portrayal of the Queen to be feminine, with slender un-worked hands, however the film conveys a scene where Queen Elizabeth I is washing her hands in rose water, and the responder is shown her masculinity and manly hands, in turn subconsciously presenting her gender, and contradiction our expectations. It is through this that the text is able to portray and highlight it?s contradictory intent, and satisfy the characteristics of postmodernism.
The construct of the film is a contradictory element within itself. The composer intentionally reverses the narrative style, where the responder would expect that the text would begin with birth and end with death, as much precedent has assured, however the responder is presented with the theme of death as the foremost explored aspect of the text, and concludes with birth. It contests the idea of life, and the life cycle, and challenges this idea of mortality. It is Orlando?s ability to contradict this typical style of construct which enhances it?s post-modern intent. It is this initiative which also supports the texts challenge of immortality, as it sees Orlando exist eternally, transcending throughout time, escaping death to be met with the conclusion of birth, and in return symbolise his rebirth. It is also this idea of contradicting the life cycle which acts as a contrast to Orlando?s character, as the film commences with death and concludes with birth, enforcing the responder?s expectation that the story will be told back through time, told through memories of the past, however time continues forward and Orlando grows and develops. Therefore it can be seen that Orlando is a text which is able to portray the characteristics of a post-modern text through the use of an unrestricted construct of the plot, and in turn this is highlighted through it?s contradictory elements.
The use of literature and art to highlight the contradictory elements in Orlando is a consistent theme of the text. In particular, art is used to highlight the gender role reversal with which Orlando explores and presents. It is through such historical artworks, that the composer is able to make reference to the film?s ability to challenge the typical stereotypes, values and traditions as told by the portraits in particular, and in turn highlight it?s contradictory content. Take for example the portrait of Orlando?s parents. This scene portrays the picture in the background and elevated in relation to Orlando and his fiance who are located centre foreground. This elevation subconsciously suggests to the responder that the portrait is superior and almost correct in it?s substance, as it hangs above Orlando. It represents his mother and father in the typical positioning, with his mother on the left hand of his father. However the scene is contradicted when Orlando is braced in the same position as his parents with his fiance, only he is in his mother?s position, and his fiance is in his father?s position. This suggests and element of role reversal with which the text highlights. It is a paradox which almost suggest Orlando?s discontent with his gender in life, suggesting his infatuation with the female gender. This particular scene also emphasises Orlando?s costuming. He is much represented and related to the portrait of Queen Elizabeth I, presenting the suggested femininity within his character. It is through these features and concepts that the text is able to present contradictory elements which dissatisfy the responder?s expectations, and challenge typical portrayals of text types, making Orlando a post-modern text of intent.
The storyline, and voice of the story is another contradictory element played by the composer, however it is this element which is used to contradict typical narrative styles, and not so much challenge the expectations of the responder. This can be seen as the text constantly protrudes back and forth from first person to third person narrative. It is this intrusive nature of the first person narrative through Orlando which is a tool used to fracture and fragment the continuous expected flow of the film. Take for example the opening scene where the responder is presented with Orlando as a character who is described and told through the voice of a storyteller. However this is then intruded by the inclusion of Orlando?s voice, resulting in the fragmentation of the text. This in turn contradicts the traditional values of a film as told by only one narrative structure, and in turn challenges the unrestricted realms of postmodernism. Addressing the audiences is also a technique used to subconsciously invite the idea of a documentary. When Orlando addresses the audience, he suggests to them that there is an idea of truth within the text, much like what can be associated with a documentary, however the responder soon realises that this is another contradictory element as Orlando is portrayed as immortal, transcending throughout time eternally youthful. Another example where the responder can be shown the contradictory narrative of Orlando, is the scene where Orlando has finished visiting Queen Elizabeth I, and falls into bed emersed in silence, then indicating to himself in thought out loud "very interesting person". This is also used to portray an element of truth within the text, and can be seen as a Bredt technique, with which the audience is signalled by the character that the play is not true, that it is not reality. Therefore when you place this Bredt technique in accordance to the documentary technique in the same scene, you challenge the responder?s need to feel reality and become emersed in the play, however are intruded and awakened by reality, contradicting the expected purpose of the scene as merely to tell the story. It is in return that the responder is challenged of their expectations, and therefore allow Orlando to present it?s contradictory elements as a feature of it?s post-modern characteristics.
Setting through the use of seasons can be seen as a further contradicting element of Orlando. Typically, social values and stereotypes of particular events can be linked with particular seasons, such as freedom and unrestricted content with summer, loneliness and isolation with winter, loss with autumn and love and birth with spring. However Orlando as a text is able to challenge this typical precedent and cultural value, in turn reversing the seasons with the contingents of it?s scene. A strong example of this is when Orlando discovers true love for himself. He becomes involved with the Ambassador?s daughter and the responder is shown his true passion towards her, however this is contradicted by the season. Social expectations would see love blossom during the season of Spring, however Orlando presents the idea of love during Winter, and as expressed by the text ?the coldest winter in history?. Through this the responder?s expectation and stereotypical values are challenged and in turn it is this concept which highlights the contradictory elements in Orlando, and it?s post-modern features. Another feature of the setting which appeals to contradictory features is when we see the scene of Orlando with the British aristocrats talking about politics, our expectations are challenges when we are presented with an imitative statue of a Greek Olympian, symbolising a contemporary 20th century ideal yet presented in the 1600?s. It is this use of displacement and challenging stereotypical expectations of the typical environment which is a contradictory element used to both add humour and dysfunction to the text, satisfying it?s post-modern features.
A subtle contradictory element subconsciously presented in the text is the ability to defy typical historical knowledge of religion, and the expectations bought by believing in God. This is portrayed in the scene where Orlando is asleep for six days, and on the seventh day he awakens. The contradictory aspect of this is that the responder would bring in his own values and expectations into the interpretation of the text when viewing it, and would notion that it is a belief of Christianity that God asks that we work for six days, and on the seventh day we rest. However the movie portrays this in a reverse manner where we see Orlando rest for six days and awaken back to life, back to his work on the seventh day, when typically he should have been resting that day. It is this concept which subconsciously plays with religion and traditional beliefs, therefore contradicting the responder?s knowledge and expectation of that particular period of time. Therefore it can be seen that Orlando can present contradiction through the use of post-modern features, challenging the responder?s expectations and values.
It can be seen that Orlando is a text which presents much controversy, contradiction and post-modern features to in turn highlight the composer?s sole purpose of presenting gender role reversal, the role of politics and love, and ironic humour and the importance of power. The character Orlando can be seen as a representation of all these elements, contradicting the typical expectation of certain aspects of the text, in turn encompassing qualities and features which are unrestricted and foreground a storyline which defies precedent, and is enhanced through it?s alternate narrative. Therefore it can be seen that Orlando encompasses an number of contradictory elements which coincide to make it a successful yet confusing post-modern text.
